


More than nuts and bolts

by Bill_Longbow



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Don't copy to another site, Happy Ending, M/M, Starkbot Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 10:37:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18207260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bill_Longbow/pseuds/Bill_Longbow
Summary: Dum-E has been with his dad for more than thirty years. It hasn't always been easy, but it was interesting.





	More than nuts and bolts

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the winteriron server Dum-E appreciation week!
> 
> AO3 didn't let me make my own tags: pov Dum-E, Stuckony ship only when you squint, and the fic is canon compliant up until that happy ending xD
> 
> Thank you to [ kimannhart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimannhart) for betaing!

Dum-E doesn't like the way creator unit is lying on his couch. Dum-E knows the couch is his recharging station, but he looks... wrong. Dum-E silently removes the empty bottle, and mops up the liquid that came from creator unit's mouth. He looks around for the blanket that always makes creator unit smile that one smile that means he'll praise Dum-E, and carefully pulls it over him until he's covered up to his shoulders. Humans shouldn't be covered over their heads like bots and cars sometimes are.

It feels wrong. It's not a thing Dum-E is used to feeling and he wishes creator unit was done charging and would talk to him, but creator unit's hurt and Dum-E will protect him while he charges.

He takes up a position in front of the couch and stands guard.

***

Dum-E loves Jarvis as much as creator unit. Jarvis is smart and has human words and he teaches Dum-E things like the words dad and brother, and the difference between liking and loving someone. (Dum-E loves dad unit and his little brother. He likes Platypus unit who tries to take care of dad unit like Jarvis and Dum-E. He hates the old human without hair but he can't explain why.) Dum-E in his turn teaches Jarvis the best ways to take care of dad unit. How he can make dad unit smile despite his current mood by acting like 'a bucket of rusty nails.' Jarvis can't push over a can of screws on purpose, or mix together random fluids with coffee, but when he uses his human words to make dad unit laugh for the first time Dum-E chirps in pride.

***

Dad unit's gone. Dum-E has cleaned the whole workshop and made so many bad smoothies they don't fit in the fridge anymore. He recharged three times and still he hasn't come back. Platypus unit came to talk to Jarvis, and it made Jarvis sad. So sad he refused to explain to Dum-E what's going on. He told Dum-E to get into his charging station and power down, but he won't, even if the whole workshop now is quiet and dark. He needs to be ready to cheer dad unit up when he comes back.

For the first time in his life Dum-E is scared.

***

They sit together in the quiet workshop, dad and him. Dum-E delicately rests his claw on dad's shoulder. He knows humans need to touch each other when they feel sad, he's not sure where he learned that, but when dad puts the hand of his good arm on Dum-E's strut with a small smile he knows he's doing something right.

***

He doesn’t think he’s ever had as much fun in his life as with this fire extinguisher, and every time Jarvis plays the footage back for him Dum-E nearly topples in glee.

***

Dum-E has no code, no words, for how he feels when dad crawls in without the shining motor that he needs now to keep his flesh motor running. He doesn't hesitate when he sees dad tries to get to the ornament Pepper Pot made of the old one and rolls over to gently lift it into dad's hand.

The phrase _good boy_ never sounded as good before.

***

Jarvis helps Dum-E learn to read, and he puts his new skills into practice trying to make fluids for dad that actually taste nice. Dum-E doesn't like the way dad's skin looks, and he takes it upon himself to feed dad good things.

Jarvis gives him ingredients he doesn't recognise, that make the smoothies a vibrant green and Dum-E approves of the colour, even if these special smoothies don't help his dad look better. He tries to make his dad laugh by acting even dumber than usual, but it’s no use, and Dum-E feels despair along with Jarvis. Jarvis explained what was happening, but Dum-E refuses to believe their dad will power down for good.

He’s proven right. His dad invents himself a new motor, a heart, and Dum-E wishes he could pull Jarvis into the hug his dad gives him.

***

Jarvis and him made a deal after their dad came back from the desert with a new heart that Jarvis wouldn’t withhold information again. Dum-E and U are drawing when Jarvis opens a video feed. Terrible things roam the skies of the city, and only a handful of humans fight back, their dad one of them.

Together they watch their dad fly into a hole in the sky, and they count, count, count… They chirp and beep in happiness when he falls back out, but it’s all wrong, the armour never flies like a dead goose. Dum-E beeps in anguish when dad is captured by a huge green human, but the green man puts dad down gently and then dad opens his eyes.

Still safe.

***

Loud noises. Too loud. They scare him and U. It all happens too fast to make sense.

Suddenly there's a hole in the workshop wall and the whole building starts to slide.

They fall.

He chirps for his dad, his little brother, his little sister.

A flash of red goes by and Dum-E's relieved. Jarvis got to their dad on time.

He tries to stay awake for as long as possible, but the water does funny things to his systems, he thinks this might be what humans call hurt, and he powers down without wanting to.

***

They wake up in a brand new workshop. His dad calls them names before he hugs them both, and Jarvis tells them he missed them.

They have more space to roam, dad lets them use the elevator as long as they don’t break things, and Dum-E takes up gazing out over the city when dad, Pepper Pot and U are asleep.

Jarvis never sleeps and they talk as they watch the sky turn colour. This is the city that was attacked, and Dum-E likes watching it being rebuild, like their dad constantly rebuilds himself.

***

A human comes to visit the workshop. But he’s not like the other humans that have taken up residence in the tower. The other humans are not allowed to come into the workshop, except for Captain call me steve. Dum-E likes Captain call me steve because he brings dad food and makes dad smile, and he plays catch with Dum-E whenever he’s not working in his little book. Jarvis explained it wasn’t polite to look into that book, so Dum-E very carefully never rolls behind Captain call me steve when he’s working.

This new human is different. He is enhanced like his dad, and Dum-E is so curious about this that he ignores Jarvis and his dad and rolls right up to where he’s standing in the doorway to touch his metal hand. He tries to ask new human about the arm, where did he get it, did his dad make if for him, is it heavy, does he want to share Dum-E’s polish, but the human only looks at him and smiles.

“You’re a curious thing, arent’ya?” new human asks.

“Well yeah, I’m a learning bot, you can’t learn without acquiring new information, it’s in my base code,” Dum-E chirps back.

“You want to look at my arm?” new human holds his metal arm out for Dum-E to inspect.

“Thank you, new human, you can take a look at mine if you want?” Dum-E beeps happily as he examines the arm.

“We’re metal arm buddies.”

When Dum-E looks up from his inspection he notices both his dad and Captain call me steve stare at them with that look Jarvis calls surprise.

“I like him,” Dum-E chirps and zooms off in search for his ball.

***

Dum-E has lived with his dad for thirty years. For thirty years he stood guard when his dad was sick and laid passed out on the couch. He helped him lift and build and create. He watched his siblings' births, helped them find their own place and own personality. He watched his dad get hurt again and again and again, and tried to help him as much as he could, and even if the only thing was acting like a clown he never gave up his vigil.

Now, for the first time in his life he’s content to let others take care of his dad. Captain call me steve and Winter bucky take their task very seriously. Dum-E and his siblings grilled them about their intentions, and they observed nothing but good things so far, the main thing the change in their dad. He laughs more, he teases them, he sings along to his music again.

Dum-E doesn’t need Jarvis to teach him the human word for this. He feels the same in his base code.

Dum-E is happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://bill-longbow.tumblr.com) or join us on the 16+ [ Stuckony discord server ](https://discord.gg/jtXcc3n) for all things Tony, Bucky and Steve!


End file.
